Wow, the books just keep coming! I had planned to stop my reading binge once the semester began, but I just couldn't. I had so many great requests at the library that I just couldn't cancel them! BTW, here's a nice preview of what will be coming up in the next few weeks slash months:



81. Superpowers, by David J. Schwartz. Finished September 8. 2 days. 376 p.
I've been looking for this book in libraries for a while, and it's only been available for a very short time. I was really excited to read it! My reaction afterwards? Eh. It was okay. The story of four college students who become superheroes overnight (you know, super speed, super strength, telepathy, that kind of thing). But it turns out, superheroes are really just human and face the same weaknesses as other people do. I just gave away the main theme of the book for you. It's been done better elsewhere. Try reading Watchmen instead.

82. The Bug, by Ellen Ullman. Finished September 10. 2 days. 354 p.
About a software bug and the way the search for the bug intensifies the way the programmer's life is falling apart. I liked the software part. But there was too much sex for my taste. Again, eh.

83. It Sucked & Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita, by Heather B. Armstrong. Finished September 11. 1 day. 258 p.
A regurgitation of what she's already written in her blog (www.dooce.com). It seemed like a bunch of blog entries pasted together, and was really choppy. Go to the blog first if you're interested in her writing.

84. This I Believe, edited by Allison and Gediman. Finished September 13. 2 weeks. 280 p.
A nice little collection of anecdotes from people, both famous and ordinary, about what they believe. From the NPR series. I liked it, mostly because each story was only 3 pages long, so I didn't have to commit much time to it in order to finish it (not like some of the novels coming up, which really needed to be read all at once because they were awesome).

85. Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta. Finished September 13. 1 day. 419 p.
A perfectly plotted YA novel about familial and romantic love in a small Australian town. It was really, really confusing for the first 100 pages. But stick with it! One of the best YA novels I've read in a while. Highly recommended. It definitely deserved the Printz award. How is it possible that I can't find new copies on Amazon? Not cool.

86. Don't Cramp My Style, edited by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. Finished September 19. 2 days. 295 p.
A collection of stories about periods. Eh. The first one was good, but some of the others weren't that great.

87. Nation, by Terry Pratchett. Finished September 20. 3 days. 369 p.
Post-apocalyptic novel about an island ravaged by a tsunami and what the survivors do. Great coming-of-age story. I really liked it.

88. Wastelands, edited by John Joseph Adams. Finished September 20. 3 days. 327 p.
Series of post-apocalyptic short stories, running the gamut from bioweapons gone wrong to global drought to worldwide pandemics. Good, if you like that genre. I really do. What happens after the world ends? Some interesting perspectives.

89. The Infinite Atonement, by Tad Callister. Finished September 22. 1 month. 336 p
Wonderful treatment of the Atonement. I like his legalistic way of structuring the arguments he makes. Highly recommended.

90. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton. Finished September 24. 1 month. Read online.
A turn of the century novel of manners. It was good. Wharton is a great wordsmith, but the story just didn't interest me. The story of a married man who is obsessed with another woman. Should he or shouldn't he? That's the whole plot right there.

91. Backwater, by Joan Bauer. Finished September 26. 2 hours. 185 p.
Typical Joan Bauer. That's a good thing.

92. Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George. Finished September 26. 2 hours. 280 p.
Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. I really like fairy tale retellings, and this was no exception. Mormon author.

93. The Loser's Guide to Life & Love, by A.E. Cannon. Finished September 26. 2 hours. 256 p.
The first YA novel I've read that's set in Salt Lake City (from a mainstream publishing house. I'm sure there are plenty of the type to get sold at Deseret Book, but that's not really my type of fiction book). Good story about best friends who realize they are in love with each other, and how they eventually get together. Formulaic, but still pretty good.

94. Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood. Finished September 27. 2 days. 367 p.
Another post-apocalyptic dystopian novel. Margaret Atwood is so good. But I would start with The Handmaid's Tale if you haven't read any Atwood. I mainly got this to prepare for The Year of the Flood, which came out this year.

95. Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. Finished September 28. 2 days. 392 p.
Loved it. YA. Girl in love with a werewolf. If that's your type of book, pick this one up.

One book I tried to finish and couldn't: Gob's Grief, by Chris Adrian. I got two-thirds of the way through and just couldn't do it anymore. Maybe The Children's Hospital was just a one-off. This was a debut novel, and it shows.